Firmware 2.2 asks you to rate apps before deleting them

There seems to be news every day about the newly seeded firmware 2.2 for the iPhone. Yesterday it was the Google’s Street View feature, today it’s the option to rate an application when deleting it. Recently a Greek Language website, iPhone Hellas, reported that in the new firmware version 2.2 ...

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Lightsaber Unleashed 2.1: Custom Characters and Sabers for the iPhone

So, many of us felt a a great disturbance in the force when the selection of characters included with the original Lightsaber Unleashed (formerly known as PhoneSaber) were tied to the simultaneously released Force Unleashed video game rather than to the original Star Wars movies we all (should!) know and love.

No Luke. No Yoda. No Obi-wan.

Well, Lightsaber Unleashed has just hit 2.1 and with it comes the ability to rectify this disturbance, provided you’re willing to do it yourself. Not only can you make your own Lightsabers, mixing handles and colors for the perfect shade, but you can take a photo or choose from a photo album picture to make your own entire character — complete with fields for names and bios!

Major improvement to an already geek-favorite app!

Gallery after the jump!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Lightsaber Unleashed 2.1: Custom Characters and Sabers for the iPhone

Apple: No New Products Before Holidays

Apple has issued a statement to Macworld clarifying that there are no plans for any new products before the holiday season.

“Our holiday line-up is set,” Apple spokesman Bill Evans told Macworld.

This announcement squashes circulat...

New MacBook Users Reporting Problems Running iPhone Dev Team’s Pwnage Tool?

ZiPhone Developer Reveals Bug that can Crash the iPhone

ZOMG! Ziphone Dude Crashing iPhones With Malicious Audio Code?

Forbes.com (via TUAW) is claiming Ziphone jailbreak author Piergiorgio Zambrini has found a way to crash the iPhone (and other computer systems, according to Zambrini’s own website) using specially crafted video files:

The bug Zambrini found is in the audio portion of Apple’s video format. Knowing the bug exists, someone could write a program that incorporates the bug into a video file and trigger a crash whenever an iPhone attempts to run that file. The bug, which is located in a shared code library that is used across most Apple operating systems and some Linux ones as well, doesn’t appear to cause any permanent damage, but immediately sends the device into a panic that leads to a lengthy reboot.

Since it crashed the device and not just the app, one security expert quoted feels it’s a kernal vulnerability that’s been discovered. Zambrini, who paradoxically claims to have both applied for a job with Apple’s security team, and that working for Apple is not his goal, is apparently exploring the vulnerability as a way to inject malicious code.

Lovely.

Howsabout next time we be a little more responsible and keep the information confidential, alerting only the OS makers involved, giving them a reasonable amount of time to patch the problem before we put real world end-users at risk by alerting bad guys to potential exploits, b’okay?

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

ZOMG! Ziphone Dude Crashing iPhones With Malicious Audio Code?

Ng:moco’s Young aims to create an early EA for the iPhone

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Gaming, Software, iPhone, App Store

Touch Arcade has an interview up with Neil Young. Just like you, I was only slightly disappointed to learn that it was the Neil Young formerly of EA who recently formed ng:moco, quickly becoming one of the most high-profile iPhone game houses, not that other one. But only slightly, because also like many of you, I'm looking forward to Rolando and the "over a dozen" other games ng:moco is releasing on the App Store, and I'm interested to see what ng:moco has to say for themselves about the little iPhone game empire they're building.

Unfortunately, TA didn't get a price or a strict release date out of Young for Rolando, but he does say that the game's shaping up well -- he even says creator Simon Oliver "could be the first Miyamoto of the iPhone," which, even if an exaggeration, is an interesting idea. They also discuss the plan behind ng:moco, a company which, like EA in the earlier days of PC gaming, aims to bring together publishers, designers, and promotion and sales all under one big roof. And the volatile issue of iPhone App pricing comes up, but I agree that the big balance on price always seems to be quality -- looking at a system like the Xbox 360's marketplace, you can justify almost any price for a game, as long as the user has an experience that feels worth what they paid.

And finally, they hit on the iPhone's competitors, and it sounds like Young thinks Android phones have a ways to go -- the difference is not in the hardware (touchscreen, size, and so on), but it's in the usability and interface, and in those arenas, Young says, Apple still has the edge. Very nice interview with a company that seems destined to play a big part in the iPhone gaming market.

Ng:moco's Young aims to create an early EA for the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ng:moco's Young aims to create an early EA for the iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ziphone author demos iPhone crash to Forbes

Filed under: Security, iPhone, iPod touch

Ziphone creator Piergiorgio Zambrini has discovered a bug with the iPhone that causes the phone to crash when it starts to play a specially-created video. Forbes.com recorded a demonstration.

The bug apparently affects the audio track of the video, which takes down the iPhone operating system. I could not independently verify the bug, because the links to the movie (and the movie file itself) shown to Forbes were no longer available online.

The bug does not permanently damage devices, according to Zambrini. He said he hasn't yet contacted Apple's security response team. Forbes.com informed an Apple spokesman about the flaw and is still awaiting an official comment.

Zambrini claims he emailed Steve Jobs personally about the bug; around the same time, he applied for employment at Apple. Apple has not yet responded to his resume. It strikes me that Zambrini is trying to appeal to Apple in the same way that your ex-girlfriend tries to appeal to you by spray painting the front of your house.

In the Forbes.com article, Zambrini now claims his goal "...is not to work for Apple."

Zambrini created Ziphone, a popular iPhone unlocking tool.

Thanks, Taylor!

Ziphone author demos iPhone crash to Forbes originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Ziphone author demos iPhone crash to Forbes originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Why Opera didn’t make it on the iPhone

An Opera spokesman said his company hasn’t yet submitted a version of Opera Mini for approval on the App Store, contradicting reports last week that Apple had barred the browser from the iPhone.

Review: Real Soccer 2009

Players will immediately develop an affinity for this pocket-size kickfest. Incredible graphics, intuitive controls, and deep gameplay make Real Soccer 2009 one of the better games on the App Store.

iPhone Apps to Prepare for Election Day

iPhone gains battery life, camera flash, loses sex appeal with FastMac’s iV

Filed under: Cellphones

Why yes, FastMac -- we want 24 hours of talk time, 72 of audio, 20 of video, and 31 days of standby on our iPhones and iPhone 3Gs. Throw in a camera flash that doubles as a flashlight, and the ability to charge a USB device like a Bluetooth headset right off the phone, and you've got a deal on this iV charging kit of yours! Oh, there's a catch? It's a wee bit bulky, with an aesthetic similar to that of mophie's Juice Pack? Hey, it could be worse. This largification -- along with $79.50 -- is apparently the price you pay for digital endurance.

[Via Macworld]

iPhone gains battery life, camera flash, loses sex appeal with FastMac's iV originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

How To: Setup AT&T Free Wi-Fi on Your iPhone

So, I am sitting at my local Starbucks and decided to give the new AT&T free Wi-Fi a spin on my iPhone 3G. The process was painless. After turning on Wi-Fi, you are presented with a screen to enter you phone number. Afterwards, it tells you that you are receiving a link via text (for free) with a link to access AT&T’s free Wi-Fi.

I have to admit, at first I was thinking that this seems a little complicated and a lot of steps to just connect via Wi-Fi… but wait, it is all-goooooood.

So, I get my text message and it tells me that I now have access and that it is renewable every 24 hours. Cool. Now, why is this exciting and post-worthy? Well, If you have tried to connect to an AT&T Wi-Fi access point before, say, via Starbucks, you connect, but as soon as your iPhone goes into sleep mode, you loose the Wi-Fi connection and you have to reconfigure it all over again!

With this process, this does not happen! I can only assume it adds your MAC address to AT&T’s service. So everytime your iPhone goes into sleep mode, you don’t have to worry about turning it back on! It automatically connects (well, for 24 hours anyway). How great is that! I say kudos to AT&T in taking the extra time to ensure that the free Wi-Fi experience on your iPhone is flawless. Good job.

Check out the gallery below!

  

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

How To: Setup AT&T Free Wi-Fi on Your iPhone

Glyph rocks on iPhone; GTS World Racing gets two-player mode

Filed under: Gaming, Software, Found Footage, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

Handmark has released one new game for the iPhone and iPod touch, and updated one of their existing titles.

The new game is Glyph, a game in the jewel-matching genre that has been a hit on PCs and other handheld platforms. The game has more than 200 levels across 2 different modes. In the Quest mode, you are trying to break through layers of rock by matching like-colored stones to make the glyphs visible. In Action mode, you touch groups of stones to clear them as they come up from the bottom of the screen. Your task is to try to keep the stones from making it all the way to the top of the screen. There's beautiful music playing in the background, although you can choose your own soundtrack from your music.

Glyph is available now in the App Store (click opens iTunes) at an introductory price of US$1.99 -- the regular price will be US$4.99.

In other news, Handmark has announced an update to GTS World Racing that provides a two-player mode so you can race against friends over Wi-Fi. The update is available for free through the App Store.

Glyph rocks on iPhone; GTS World Racing gets two-player mode originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Glyph rocks on iPhone; GTS World Racing gets two-player mode originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Forum Review: Easy Relax for the iPhone (Free Version)

Easy Relax (Free Version) Forum Review by cjvitek. For more Forum Reviews, see the TiPb iPhone App Store Forum!

Ahh….relaxtion. The often unachievable goal of most adults (especially during the weekend). With the increasing stress of our lives, is it any surprise that huge numbers of “relaxation aides” have appeared on the market. Massagers, aroma therapy, ambient noise generators - all trying to help us relax.

Well, now the iPhone has gotten into the game.

Easy Relax is an ambient noise generation program that has a huge number of features. In addition to come with a set of pre-programmed noise features, you can have the option of creating your own. This features sets it apart from most other similar programs.

The difference is that with the Easy Relax program, the ambient noises are a combination of sounds to create a more robust “mood”. So instead of hearing just a cricket chirping (for example), you might hear a cricket chirping, with an occasional wolf howl in the distance, and a low melody playing in the background.

The program comes with 7 preset “themes”, including “Into the West”, “Hawaii Vacation”, and “Rainy Day”. With any theme, you can change any of the sub-features (background music, or any of the up to three ambient noises). And with the ambient noises, you can control the individual volume, as well as the individual repeat time (make the waves softer or louder, make the howls repeat every 2 seconds or 10 seconds, etc.)

Add to the the ability to create your own ambient themes - each theme can have one background music, and up to three ambient noises included.

It’s a buffet of ambient noise! How can you relax with all these fun and exciting choices!

Added to all of this is a timer feature, so you can run any theme for a pre-set length of time, after which it will stop. Perfect to help you relax or fall asleep.

If you want the more traditional ambient noises, you can create a theme that just consists of that noise by itselt. The program comes with 30 different ambient noises, and 11 different background “soundtracks”.

One annoying thing is everytime you start the program, it “suggests” that you upgrade to the ultimate version, and you have to hit a button to use this version.

For people who take their relaxation seriously, this might just be the ultimate ambient noise generator. The ultimate version is said to have more sounds and programs. It also has icons for the preset themes, playback speeds, alarm modes, and a randomization function. Truthfully, as good as the free version is, I am sort of thinking about getting the ultimate version.

Both the free and ultimate versions are listed as a “temporary promotion”, so I don’t know if those prices will change in the near future.

Pros:

• Incredible customization options for ambient noise

Cons:

• Annoying pop-up when starting the program.

All in all, this seems to be one of the most full featured ambient noise generators around. Even the free version has more than you could ever use.

Forum Review Rating

[Easy Relax is available from the iTunes App Store]

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Forum Review: Easy Relax for the iPhone (Free Version)

Apple Cutting Q4 iPhone Production?

AlleyInsider reports on a new analyst report from Friedman Billings Ramsey which claims that Apple's iPhone production could fall "more than 40%" in the 4th Quarter of 2008. AlleyInsider points out this may simply represent a surplus of iPhone produ...

Prepare for Election Day with your iPhone

Filed under: Software, iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

Here at the TUAW home office, we're quite distracted by the pending election of the USA's 44th President. However, since this is an Apple blog, we can't go all political -- but we can combine our interests.

Here are four ways you can prepare for the big day with your iPhone.

1. Quiz yourself about the candidates

How well do know the man who'll receive you vote? Fit 2 Vote [App Store link] displays a quote made by either John McCain or Barack Obama. Your job is to identify the quote's origin. Once you've correctly attributed 50 quotes, you're deemed "fit to vote." Fit 2 Vote costs $0.99US.

2. Report on your polling place

Vote Report [App Store link] is the mobile end of the Twitter Vote Report, a network of software developers, designers, and others that allows voters to instantly share the conditions at their polling places. Use your iPhone to alert the media, your neighbors, friends or anyone involved about wait times, machine malfunctions, and especially clever signs in the parking lot. Vote Report is free.

[Incidentally, has anyone ever, in the history of democracy, been swayed by a posterboard sign viewed minutes before voting? You've got to wonder why those people are standing out there in the rain.]

3. Track live results

By now the rhetoric has nearly died down and all that's left is the results. Election [App Store link] provides real-time polling results that can be sorted by state, candidate, percentage and more. You can even limit the results to your candidate, and best of all, there's no stumping. Election only reports the numbers. Election costs $0.99US.

4. Perform electoral math

Votetastic [App Store link] lets you fiddle with electoral votes and observe the results. For instance, you can select a contested state like Ohio and either turn it "red" or "blue." Doing so moves those electoral votes from one side to the other.

Votetastic is really more of a game than a tool, as it doesn't report on real data, but it could be fun to see if your own predictions come true. Votetastic costs $0.99US

Prepare for Election Day with your iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Prepare for Election Day with your iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

TiPb Interview: Weightbot Developers Mark Jardine and Paul Haddad Discuss iPhone Interface Innovation

Mark Jardine and Paul Haddad of Tapbots are the breakout designers and engineers behind Weightbot (iTunes link), one of the most original user experiences released on the iPhone App Store to date. Continuing the iPhone blog’s behind-the-scenes look at iPhone application development, Mark and Paul were kind enough to take time and discuss their ideas on interface and interactivity, and how what more we might expect from Apple’s next generation mobile platform.

TiPb: How was approaching the iPhone interface for this App different than how you would have approached an interface for another platform?

Mark: It was really different coming from a web design background. 320×460 isn’t a lot of space to work with and then you have to factor in the huge difference in input devices. A person’s finger is a lot less accurate than a mouse cursor. At the same time, I wasn’t designing a website so I was freed from a lot of rules and conventions I’ve been following over the past 8 years. So my initial approach was pretty simple. If Weightbot was an actual physical device, how could I make it usable and fun at the same time?

Paul: The thing I found challenging about dealing with the iPhone interface is that users want a silky smooth and yet the iPhone and iPod touch are both very slow compared to any modern Mac. I spent a lot of time juggling things around in order to get a consistent 60 fps for all the various animations within Weightbot. Coming from our current Multi Gigahertz, Multi Gigabyte and Multi Core world where for the most part you don’t have to worry about performance to a platform like the iPhone where every cycle and byte counts is a big change.

TiPb: Weightbot’s interface is obviously both creative and innovative. Is the robot theme something that came to expressly for that app, or does it exemplify a personal style of interaction that you can see pushing further in future with different types of Apps.

Mark: The whole robot theme sort of just fell into place. That happens a lot with the work I do. I can’t always sit down with a piece of paper and try to think up a whole concept from scratch. I prefer to just dive into the work and then see what ideas pop up from it.

Paul came to me one day telling me he wanted to test the iPhone market and was going to start off simple with a weight tracking app. He asked if I was interested in helping out and didn’t want to spend more than a week or two on it. I think the original plan was to use all of the standard UI elements provided in the SDK, but I thought I’d let my imagination run a little and then see what Paul would think. My initial sketch was simple. It was just the shape of the iphone with the lcd as seen on the app today. One thing popped into mind at that point. It was Eve from Wall-e. Everything just fell into place from there. Weightbot was inspired by Eve, and the Tapbots idea was based on the whole concept of different utility robots in Wall-e. That was such a great movie. When I was in high school, my dream was to become a 3d modeler for Pixar. Obviously, my career went off on a tangent (along with this interview).

So now that you know the story of where Tapbots and Weightbot came from, obviously you can expect there to be more robot applications in the future.

TiPb: Given the stylization, was it difficult to balance form and function, and make sure the interface didn’t take over or drown out the underlying App?

Mark: Over the years, my web design philosophy has matured. I used to be all about the flash, bang, whiz type of websites, but one day I just realized that people just want to use the site or get the information they need. That’s not to say flashy sites don’t have their place. I’ve just changed my philosophy on it. So my take on all UI design is function first, and then wrap a solid, usable design around it. The same approach was taken with Weightbot. I pictured a user balancing on his/her scale, and easily being able to enter weight data into the app with one hand and without needing too much precision or concentration.

The Wii fit is probably the best example of simplicity because it weighs you and stores your weight data automatically. It’s also somewhat fun to do. The big flaw with it is you have to turn on your TV and Wii just to do it and that can get tedious if you do it everyday. I know because I have one and hardly ever turn it on anymore. So Weightbot needed to be very simple, fun enough to be motivational, and not feel like a chore to use. I’d like to think we did a pretty decent job on it.

TiPb: Did developing an interface for the iPhone change the way you may approach future interfaces on other platforms? Did you learn anything special from developing for the iPhone?

Mark: New experiences always help shape the way you think about other things. I’ve definitely learned a lot from the experience and I’m sure it will influence my work on the web. Maybe not from a visual standpoint, but definitely from a user experience point of view.

TiPb: You use touch and accelerometer based interactions in your Apps. Are developers fully tapping the potential of iPhone interactivity yet? What more, if anything, could Apple surface to help developers create even better user interactions?

Mark: Some developers are doing really cool stuff with it. The multi-touch screen, accelerometer, and even the mic are all input devices for the iPhone. Developers should use them to their app’s advantage. Our main purpose for using them was to simplify the interface. Imagine having a “graph” button in Weightbot to switch to the graph. The button would have to be small so it doesn’t make the interface busy, but then the user has to look for the button. Using the accelerometer was a no brainer. It keeps our interface clean and it’s very intuitive.

Google Earth makes really good use of the accelerometer and multi-touch controls. I think games are also pushing how users can interact with the iPhone. I think the possibilities are almost limitless so we will be seeing a lot of great solutions in the future.

Paul: I don’t think most developers fully tapping the iPhone at all. It’ll probably be another year before we see a large number of apps that really push the iPhone. Unfortunately in the current iPhone SDK there’s very little defined support for detecting things like two finger swipes or shaking the iPhone. You pretty much have to depend on accessing the accelerometer and Event code at fairly low levels. Once Apple provides some higher level support for these features you are going to see more and more developers using them in innovative ways.

TiPb: What worked out especially well for you with Weightbot? Any favorite features or elements that you’re especially happy with?

Mark: I’m happy most with the pure simplicity of it. Part of me wants to say this is the final version. But we get a lot of feature requests and Weightbot is nothing without people using it. So we will do our best to make our users happy without sacrificing on the initial vision of Weightbot.

Paul: I really like the Date Slider screen, maybe its because I spent an obscene amount of time tuning it, but I really enjoy the effect of flicking the Slider and hearing it tick as it switches dates.

Mark, Paul, we sincerely appreciate your taking the time to share with us and our readers!

Tapbots is Mark and Paul’s website, and their premiere application, Weightbot, is available via the iTunes App Store.

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb Interview: Weightbot Developers Mark Jardine and Paul Haddad Discuss iPhone Interface Innovation

First Look: Classics

Filed under: iPhone, App Store, iPod touch

Have you ever been stuck on a train, plane, or bus and wanted a good book to read? With Classics [iTunes Link], you can easily pick up your iPhone and begin reading a small collection of classic literature and novels. As I mentioned last week, Classics takes a new approach to reading books on the iPhone.

The book selection interface reminds us of Delicious Library, as it has a wooden bookcase with the library of books stacked on it -- the developers will add new books with future (free) updates. You can re-arrange your books by tapping on a book and dragging it around. Once you select a book, it will load, and you will see the reading view. If you are continuing where you left off, a bookmark will appear and slide off the page; otherwise, you will presented with the first page of the book. To turn the page, you simply slide your finger in a page-turning motion (right to left or left to right, depending on if you want to go forward or backwards respectively). The page turning is really addictive, and you'll find yourself reading quickly through the text just so you can flip to the next page -- yes, it's really that addictive.

By tapping on the list icon in the top-right corner, you will be presented with an index of the chapters; you can tap on any of these chapters to jump to the beginning of the section. When you tap the back button in the top-left, a bookmark will slide onto the page, saving your place for later.

After extensive testing over the past two weeks, I have become addicted to reading in Classics. But, there are some improvements I would like to see. There is a good selection of books to read, but I would like to see this list expand (and bring more recent books to the bookshelf). I would also like to be able to search through one (or all) of the books to find a single passage. In addition, the ability to control the font size would be nice. Overall, this application is stellar, and while there is some room for improvement, I would have to agree that this is a great way to read older books on the go. Classics is definitely not a mainstream eBook reader, because you cannot add your own books. So, if you're looking for a reader that gives you more flexibility, you might want to try Stanza [iTunes Link].

You can download Classics from the iTunes Store for an introductory price of $2.99. Be sure to take a look at our gallery of screenshots.

First Look: Classics originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

First Look: Classics originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 03 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments